November 2006

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POST-ELECTION AGENDA
With Power Set to Be Split, Wiretaps Re-emerge as Issue
Pelosi may be Torn Between Hollywood, Tech Biz
It's Inouye's Turn to set the Telecom Agenda
House Democrats and the Internet, Telecom Agenda

MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Clash of Cultures Exacerbates Woes For Tribune Co.
Tribune Peddling Top TV Stations

JOURNALISM
The top censored news story of 2005-06: Net Neutrality

QUICKLY -- ABC Station will use Independent for=20
Prime Time News; Most TV Shows Watched Within=20
Three Days on DVRs; ISPs 'should be responsible' for hacker attacks

POST-ELECTION AGENDA (continued)

WITH POWER SET TO BE SPLIT, WIRETAPS RE-EMERGE AS ISSUE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Eric Lichtblau]
The Bush administration escalated its defense of=20
the National Security Agency=92s domestic=20
wiretapping program on Thursday, even as=20
Democrats in Congress vowed to investigate the=20
program aggressively once they assume power. In=20
Washington, President Bush urged that during the=20
lame-duck session that starts next week, Congress=20
pass a bill effectively authorizing the program.=20
And in San Francisco, the Justice Department told=20
a federal court that public scrutiny of the=20
operation risked =93exceptionally grave harm to=20
national security.=94 But Democrats sounded=20
impatient to begin getting more answers after=20
what they characterized as 11 months of=20
stonewalling by the administration since the=20
program was publicly disclosed last December. The=20
shift in power on Capitol Hill sets up the=20
likelihood of a showdown between the White House=20
and Congress over the direction of not only the=20
N.S.A. program but also a range of other=20
aggressive counterterrorism operations that the=20
administration has undertaken since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/10/us/politics/10nsa.html
(requires registration)
* Bipartisanship on Hold
[Commentary] President "Bush made it clear that,=20
for now, his idea of how to =93put the elections=20
behind us=94 is to use the Republicans=92 last two=20
months in control of Congress to try to push=20
through one of the worst ideas his administration=20
and its Republican allies on Capitol Hill have=20
come up with: a bill that would legalize his=20
illegal wiretapping program and gut the law that=20
limits a president=92s ability to abuse his power in this way."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/10/opinion/10fri1.html

PELOSI MAY BE TORN BETWEEN HOLLYWOOD, TECH BIZ
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Brooks Boliek]
Now that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is set to=20
become the next House Speaker, entertainment=20
industry executives are hoping she will prove=20
friendlier to the Hollywood crowd than her=20
predecessor. Rep Pelosi has some ties with the=20
entertainment industry; counted among her friends=20
in Hollywood are News Corp. president and chief=20
operating officer Peter Chernin. While News Corp.=20
is viewed as a Republican stronghold, Chernin is=20
a long-term Democrat who helped Pelosi raise=20
campaign funds. "She has a certain sensitivity to=20
these interests that (outgoing Speaker) Dennis=20
Hastert (R-IL) didn't necessarily share," said=20
Mitch Bainwol, a Republican who serves as=20
chairman and CEO or the Recording Industry Assn.=20
of America, the lobby group for the major record=20
labels. Dan Glickman, his Democratic counterpart=20
at the Motion Picture Assn. of America, said Rep=20
Pelosi is "a good, personal friend of a lot of=20
people in the entertainment industry." Still,=20
there is some nervousness that she will side with=20
the high-tech industry in the behind-the-scenes=20
policy battles the industries will wage in=20
Congress. "Only time will tell," one=20
entertainment industry executive said. "She comes=20
from northern California, where the tech influence is strong."
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DindustryNews&storyID=
=3D2006-11-09T091613Z_01_N09198641_RTRIDST_0_INDUSTRY-PELOSI-DC.XML
* Hollywood lobbyists optimistic about power change
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DindustryNews&storyID=
=3D2006-11-09T091511Z_01_N09458311_RTRIDST_0_INDUSTRY-DEMOCRATS-DC.XML

IT'S INOUYE'S TURN TO SET THE TELECOM AGENDA
[SOURCE: tvnewsday, AUTHOR: Kim McAvoy]
Senate Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) will become the=20
most important communications policymaker in the=20
Senate next year as chairman of the Commerce=20
Committee. Broadcast lobbyists feel having Sen=20
Inouye in the chairman's seat will not create any=20
major or immediate shifts in the committee=20
policy. That=92s because he has been in a=20
power-sharing arrangement with the current=20
chairman, Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). That=20
bi-partisan cooperation is expected to continue.=20
Together, Sens Stevens and Inouye have steered a=20
moderate, pro-business course, although=20
broadcasters don't like several provision of Sen=20
Stevens=92s latest telecom reform bill. Election=20
Day will bring other changes to the committee.=20
Sen George Allen (R-VA) was an active member on=20
the committee, and many broadcasters may be happy=20
to see him go. Most recently, he championed=20
legislation that would have opened up broadcast=20
spectrum =97 =93white spaces=94 =97 for unlicensed=20
wireless computer devices. The National=20
Association of Broadcasters and the Association=20
for Maximum Service Television strongly opposed=20
the measure. A committee member broadcasters will=20
miss is Sen Conrad Burns (R-MT) who lost a close=20
race to Democrat Jon Tester. A former=20
broadcaster, Sen Burns has been a reliable ally=20
of the broadcasting industry through his=20
Washington career. The NAB backed his reelection=20
bid. In the last Congress, Chairman Stevens did=20
away with the Communications Subcommittee, but=20
there is some speculation that Sen Inouye may=20
bring it back and give the chairmanship to either=20
Sen Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) or Sen Byron Dorgan=20
(D-ND). If Sen Dorgan gets the nod, broadcasters=20
should expect him to be even more aggressive =97=20
and effective =97 in his opposition to loosening the ownership rules.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2006/11/09/daily.5/

HOUSE DEMOCRATS AND THE INTERNET, TELECOM AGENDA
[SOURCE: IPDemocracy, AUTHOR: Cynthia Brumfield]
[Commentary] Over the past six years, under=20
President Bush and a Republican House and Senate,=20
the technology world has changed a million times=20
over. Whether these changes were helped, hindered=20
or allowed by the regulation, deregulation or=20
lack of regulation by the Republican-dominated=20
federal government is debatable, what's certain=20
is that some things will change as the power=20
shifts in the U.S. Congress. Brumfield over four=20
predictions: 1) the Telecom Reform legislation=20
debated this year is dead; 2) Net Neutrality will=20
dominate the policy discussion; 3) the FCC will=20
become even more divided and will have a hard=20
time issuing any but the most mundane decisions;=20
and 4) Hollywood's intellectual property issues will get even more attentio=
n.
http://techeffect.thedealblogs.com/2006/11/whats_on_the_dems_tech_agenda...
* Shift Happened: How Might a Democrat-Controlled=20
Congress Affect Media, Internet, Communications and Entertainment?
Jeff Pulver: "The shift in power tips the balance=20
to the Net Neutrality forces and puts the Bells=20
on the defensive for the first time since passage=20
of the '96 Telecom Act' as they continue their=20
efforts to obtain video franchising relief.=20
Perhaps this means there is a potential=20
compromise in the works -- video franchising=20
relief for a more meaningful iteration of Net Neutrality?"
http://pulverblog.pulver.com/archives/005948.html

MEDIA OWNERSHIP

CLASH OF CULTURES EXACERBATES WOES FOR TRIBUNE CO
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Sarah Ellison sarah.ellison( at )wsj.com]
When Chicago-based Tribune Co. acquired Times=20
Mirror six years ago, it was more than an $8=20
billion fusion of two media companies. The merger=20
also threw together two competing and=20
incompatible cultures, each rooted in the=20
traditions of their respective flagship=20
newspapers, the Chicago Tribune and the Los=20
Angeles Times. Some Tribune executives think the=20
Times is arrogant, spoiled and overstaffed, a=20
paper with global ambitions that has ignored=20
local readers. Some Times people consider the=20
Chicago Tribune an inferior, provincial product.=20
Times denizens, proud of their city's position as=20
the nation's second largest, see the paper's=20
owners as bean counters in business suits.=20
Tribune thinks its Californian charges are too=20
slick and prefer to take pride in the company's=20
Chicago roots. Unlike many battles between=20
journalists and corporate bosses, which focus=20
largely on spending, this one is also driven by=20
fundamental differences between the philosophies=20
of the two newspapers. Even in 2000, some=20
executives saw trouble looming. The solution=20
dreamed up by Tribune and Times Mirror was to=20
merge their operations in a way that allowed them=20
to sell combined packages of newspaper and local=20
TV advertising in the same big, urban markets. The strategy was a dud.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116312902448219509.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
e_one
(requires subscription)
* A media match plagued by a clash of cultures
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-clash10nov10,1,650335...
tory?coll=3Dla-headlines-pe-business

TRIBUNE PEDDLING TOP TV STATIONS
[SOURCE: Editor&Publisher]
Further underlining the breakup mood at the=20
Tribune Co. come reports today that the company's=20
investment bankers have begun offering its top TV=20
stations =97 KTLA in Los Angeles, WPIX in New York=20
and WGN in Chicago =97 to potential buyers. "One=20
reason it is shopping the stations is the pending=20
expiration of broadcast licenses," the Los=20
Angeles Times reports today. "KTLA's eight-year=20
license expires Dec. 1, at which time Tribune=20
could be found in violation of Federal=20
Communications Commission regulations banning=20
ownership of a newspaper and a broadcast outlet=20
in the same market, because it also owns the Los Angeles Times.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...
t_id=3D1003380468

JOURNALISM

THE TOP CENSORED STORY OF 2005-06: NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Peter Phillips, Trish Boreta and Project Censored]
FOR 30 years, Sonoma State University's Project=20
Censored has released an annual list of the most=20
important news stories not covered by the=20
corporate media in the United States. The top of=20
this year's list is Network Neutrality.=20
Throughout 2005 and this year, a largely=20
underground debate has raged regarding the future=20
of the Internet. More recently referred to as net=20
neutrality, the issue has become a tug of war=20
with cable and phone companies on the one hand=20
and consumers and Internet service providers=20
(ISPs) on the other. Yet despite important=20
legislative proposals and Supreme Court decisions=20
throughout 2005, the issue was almost completely=20
ignored in the headlines until 2006. And except=20
for occasional coverage on CNBC's Kudlow &=20
Kramer, mainstream television remains hands-off to this day.
http://www.metroactive.com/metro/11.08.06/censored-news-stories-0645.html

QUICKLY

KGO SAN FRANCISCO TO PRODUCE KBWB NEWS
[SOURCE: tvnewsday]
Beginning Jan. 8, 2007, ABC O&O KGO San Francisco=20
will produce a new Monday through Friday one-hour=20
newscast for Granite Broadcasting=92s independent=20
KBWB. The agreement calls for KGO News to provide=20
all editorial content, producing the newscast=20
just like any other KGO news program.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2006/11/09/daily.12/

MOST TV SHOWS WATCHED WITHIN THREE DAYS ON DVRs
[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Jon Lafayette]
The vast bulk of television shows being watched=20
on digital video recorders are played back within=20
three days of being aired, according to Nielsen=20
Media Research. In households with DVRs, 78=20
percent of all viewers who watch recorded=20
broadcast prime-time shows played them back=20
within two days, and 84 percent played them back=20
within three days. Among viewers 18-49, 67=20
percent of them played back broadcast network=20
prime-time programs within two days. For=20
ad-supported cable networks, 84 percent of DVR=20
viewers played back shows within two days of when=20
they aired. After three days, 84 percent of DVR=20
viewers had watched the broadcast shows. The=20
three-day number hit 90 percent for cable.
http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=3D11039
(requires free registration)

ISP's 'SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE' FOR HACKER ATTACKS
[SOURCE: New Scientist Tech, AUTHOR: Paul Marks]
Internet service providers (ISPs) should be made=20
legally liable for the damage caused by "denial=20
of service" (DoS) attacks carried out via their=20
networks, a leading Internet lawyer says. At a=20
conference called Blocking Denial of Service=20
Attacks on the Internet, to be held in London on=20
13 September, Lilian Edwards, an Internet lawyer=20
based at the University of Southampton, UK, will=20
argue that legal measures must be taken if these=20
attacks are to be stemmed. Edwards notes that=20
ISPs currently have no legal obligation to check=20
data relayed to and from Internet users. She=20
thinks, however, that governments could require=20
them to do so. A DoS attack involves taking down=20
a website or sever by flooding it with=20
meaningless traffic, usually sent from a network=20
of tens of thousands of PCs infected with viruses=20
and controlled remotely. These viral "bots" do=20
nothing until a hacker sends a command that tells=20
them to attack a target, but can also be used to=20
relay millions of spam email messages.
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn10494-isps-should-be-responsib...
for-hacker-attacks.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
...and we're outta here. Happy Veterans' Day. Have a great weekend.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online=20
news summary service provided by the Benton=20
Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday=20
through Friday, this service provides updates on=20
important industry developments, policy issues,=20
and other related news events. While the=20
summaries are factually accurate, their often=20
informal tone does not always represent the tone=20
of the original articles. Headlines are compiled=20
by Kevin Taglang headlines( at )benton.org -- we welcome your comments.
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